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Yachting remains a popular activity for residents
as well as visitors to Turkey. Over the past 40
years the industry has grown, and today a large
number of marinas dot the coastline between
Istanbul and Antalya. These provide supplies, easy
access to the shore at major resorts and safe
harbors, as well as often becoming local
entertainment venues in themselves. In Istanbul,
yachtsmen will delight in splendid natural
landscapes, open seas and magnificent sunsets, as
well as a voyage through Byzantine and Ottoman
history as they sail past the impressive castles,
palaces and mosques. After navigating the
breathtaking Bosphorus and sailing under the two
enormous bridges which span Europe and Asia or
meandering along the mosque-lined Golden Horn or
cruising in the coves and bays of the Princes'
Islands, you can return to one of the two large
marinas in the area. Ataköy Marina on the European
side and Kalamis (Amiral Fahri Korutürk) Marina on
the Asian side both offer 24-hour service.
From the North Sea through the European interior,
yachters can sail down the European channel system
and the Rhine and Danube Rivers into the Black Sea
harbors and to the Istanbul-Bogazi and
Istanbul marinas - a safe and short way to go to
the Turkish Mediterranean coast and marinas. The
Black Sea coast provides yachters with a lush
green coastal band where the environment is
protected and virginal.
There are frequent coves and fishing harbors along
this coast, and the weather is mild during the
summer and winter. Turkey's most established
marinas lie on the southern Aegean and
Mediterranean coasts at Izmir, Cesme, Kusadasi,
Bodrum, Datca, Bozburun, Marmaris, Göynük,
Fethiye, Kalkan, Kas, Finike, Kemer and Antalya.
In these well-equipped harbors, yachters can find
the services and provisions they require. Antalya,
Dalaman, Izmir and Istanbul airports provide quick
links to all of Turkey's marinas; after an easy
flight you can board your yacht and sail off all
within a day. |
